Rain

“Rain! Get in! I’m waiting!” Melody shouted from the pool. Rain, a thin girl with ocean-blue eyes and astonishingly straight hair that looked like it was constantly wet was standing on the edge of the pool, trembling. 

“N-No, Mel, you know I’m a-afraid of w-w-water…” Rain stammered, shivering. Exasperated, Melody rolled her eyes. She got out of the water and stood beside Rain.

“It’s kind of ironic, really. You have this appearance of being wet all the time, you have water-blue eyes, and your name is even a form of water! Jeez, Rain… Hold your breath!” Melody declared. Rain, having shivered violently with each mention of water, had no time to take a breath, or even remotely prepare herself, before Melody pushed her into the cold pool.

Obviously, Rain screamed the moment she touched the water, attracting the attention of everyone in that place. Melody waved her hands, urging everyone to go back to their daily activities. She, too, jumped in beside Rain, comforting her and encouraging her to stop shouting and enjoy the water a little bit more. Slowly, Rain stopped howling, but was still a little uncomfortable. A horrifying shriek kept replaying in Rain’s head, and Rain was sure that she was going to drown, or become permanently deaf because of the blood-chilling scream in her head.

Once Rain got used to the water, she became addicted to the water, always begging to stay in the pool for a little while longer. Melody, surprised by the turn of events, had to drag Rain to the changing rooms, being twice as strong as Rain. Grumbling in displeasure, Rain complied with Melody, not wanting to get clobbered over the head.

Even when out of the pool, Rain longed for the water, and would rush to the toilet to wash her hands in the sink at any moment possible in school. Melody, completely unnerved by this time, tried to pull Rain out of her obsession, but Rain always resisted a glossy sheen over her eyes, making her eyes look like pools of water.

As for Rain herself, she didn’t know what was happening either. She only remembered slowly getting used to the water, and getting obsessed, somehow. She no longer wanted anything else but to stay in water all day long.

One day, Melody’s family brought Rain along to the beach, despite Melody’s warning. Rain, of course, dived straight into the ocean and swam as far out as she could without people getting worried for her safety. Melody was left to her own devices, and started making a sandcastle, trying unsuccessfully to persuade her brother to join in.

After a few minutes, Rain got bored, and decided to swim further out. Gasping, she struggled for air as she pushed off and was met with no ground. Rain struggled to swim but it was as if lead was filling her body, making her heavy. Rising out of the water, Rain’s long, pale arms waved for help, before it too was dragged down. Blood pounded against her ears until it drowned out everything except for her rapid heartbeat. She could feel her lungs sputtering, choking, collapsing, from the water rapidly filling it. She could taste the salt water on her tongue as she struggled to hold on to that last piece of life. Her mind was only focused on getting oxygen and her body’s struggle to survive. She could see the clear surface of the water, the sunlight shimmering tantalizingly out of reach. Rain’s eyelids fluttered closed.

Melody soon noticed something was wrong as soon as a familiar ear-piercing scream shattered the calmness of the beach. With horror, she noticed a familiar arm being raised at the spot where she knew there was a steep drop in the ocean floor. Signaling for a lifeguard, Melody jumped into the water, her chocolate-brown arms thrashing in an attempt to swim faster.

Meanwhile, a deafening screech was resounding and reverberating in Rain’s head, while she felt herself being pulled down into the murky depths of the ocean. Terrified, memories started swarming in Rain’s head.  

A little girl with sea-green eyes was playing in the deep area of the pool, despite the cries of her mother. She lost her grip on the walls of the pool and fell to the bottom, an eerily familiar sensation of lead filling her whole body. The girl realized she was drowning, and attempted to scream, but it just made her lose even more oxygen. The world faded to black, even as the girl was hauled up out of the pool.

Drifting along a breeze, the ghost of the little girl searched for a hospital, and managed to find one in which a baby had just been born. Delighted at this chance for a new life, the little girl’s spirit possessed the baby. The mother didn’t notice a thing, and brought the baby closer to get a good look at the baby’s face. Finally starting to stop crying, the baby opened her eyes, revealing a set of gorgeous ocean-blue eyes. “What wonderful eyes! Let’s call my baby Rain,” the mother said.

Rain twitched, even as she felt a slow burning in her body. She was a ghost. She was not herself. Rain felt her spirit leave her body, even as strong arms carried her out of the water. Despite the frantic screams echoing in her head, rain felt a sense of peace. A feeling of exhaustion overtook her, and she only desired to sleep. Taking in one last breath, Rain’s heart stilled.

A day later, a baby was born. The mother brought the baby close to her face, and discovered a set of bluish-green orbs. “What beautiful eyes! Let’s name her Oceania,” the mother exclaimed in joy.